WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Made Magic Easier by Changing the Formula ◈
Chapter 15: Between Intuition and Analysis
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Inside the Rowen Securities Exchange.
The display board flickered wildly.
Red and blue numbers.
Brokers shouting.
Investors groaning.
“Black Forest! Black Forest Timber has gone crazy!”
“They issued another Acidic Mist warning for the western coast!”
Cries of “Black Forest Timber” rang out everywhere.
The very stock I had bought with all my money.
I pushed through the crowd and approached the price board.
My eyes swiftly tracked the numbers.
[Black Forest Timber: 6 silver]
‘...Huh?’
Good heavens.
I was speechless.
A stock that had cost 5 copper per share had become 600 copper.
Exactly 120 times its original price.
‘This is a miracle.’
Looking around, everyone was shouting at the counters with bloodshot eyes.
“Buy! Buy it while you still can!”
“Black Ironwood is our only hope!”
“Black Forest Timber! We have to buy it now!”
Everyone was desperate to get their hands on it.
‘No matter how I look at it, this is overheated.’
After calming myself, I stared at the board coolly.
‘There’s a high chance this is the peak.’
Everything related to the Acidic Mist had already been priced into the stock.
Excessively so.
Soon, news would come that countries had found alternatives or developed acid-neutralizing magic.
When that happened, the bubble would burst in an instant.
‘I’ll sell today.’
I made my decision.
‘Selling at the very top is impossible anyway.’
It might rise further tomorrow.
But if I got greedy for that, I might fail to sell until after the crash began.
‘Fine. I should be satisfied with this much.’
I quietly went to the sell counter.
“Black Forest Timber. Sell all of it.”
“A-All of it? It’s soaring right now... Are you sure?”
“Yes. Sell it at market price.”
The broker looked at me as if I were crazy, but soon completed the transaction.
1,058 shares × 6 silver = 6,348 silver.
Converted to gold, that was 63 gold and 48 silver.
“The transaction has been completed. Your total sale amount is 63 gold and 48 silver. From that...”
“We’ll deduct the Imperial securities transaction tax of 1.5% and a brokerage fee of 0.5%. The Imperial Family recently raised the tax by 0.5% to reinforce border defenses, so there’s been quite an uproar.”
“...It can’t be helped.”
A total of 2%.
About 1 gold and 27 silver vanished into thin air.
It stung a little, but there was nothing I could do.
Taxes were unavoidable expenses.
“The settlement is complete. Here you are.”
A heavy pouch was placed in my palm.
[Final amount received: 62 gold, 21 silver]
Fifty silver had become 62 gold.
Even after taxes, it was a vast sum that an ordinary person could hardly touch after a lifetime of work.
‘With this, I have enough money to live on for the rest of my life.’
Now the real beginning starts.
If I didn’t make this money work for me, my dream would disappear as nothing more than a fantasy.
I held out one gold coin to the clerk.
“I’d like a ticket for the information reading room.”
The clerk’s eyes widened, but soon handed me a pass.
“For 1 gold, you may read for seven days. Reading hours are from nine in the morning to six in the evening. We are not open at night.”
“Yes.”
I walked through the thick iron doors.
Ordinary investors rarely came here.
It was a space filled with nothing but boring numbers and writing.
The bookshelves covering every wall were packed with financial statements from companies listed in the Empire, quarterly business reports, and continental trade statistics.
I climbed a ladder and pulled out the dusty materials from the top shelf.
‘One stroke of luck is enough. From now on, it’s analysis.’
Finding Professor Kael’s scribbles had been a miracle-like coincidence.
I couldn’t expect that kind of luck to come again.
I rapidly turned the pages.
Rustle.
[Northern Iron Ore Mining Report]
[Eastern Maritime Trade Statistics]
[Magical Engineering Society: List of New Technology Patents]
[Western Granary Region Harvest Report]
Even if I only skimmed them,
I never forgot the contents or figures I had seen once.
Thousands of seemingly unrelated records accumulated in my mind.
After four days, I was able to grasp the continent’s overall currents.
‘Trade volume is increasing.’
Shipping companies’ stock prices had already skyrocketed.
The most representative stock was [Valderk Transport], Ellen’s family company.
I examined its report.
‘Debt ratio below 10%. Cash holdings are excellent.’
A steadfast and honest stock, like Ellen.
It was already overvalued, making it difficult to buy into.
[Bergen Shipping].
Its share price was also soaring.
It controlled 70% of trade in southern Rowen, so that was only natural.
There was no room to enter.
‘There’s nothing left to eat in famous stocks.’
I closed the ledger.
I had no interest in stocks the entire market had already noticed.
What I was looking for was something else.
[Day 6 of Reading]
Thousands of small companies.
I skimmed through materials on companies I had never even heard of.
[Northern Carriage Guild]
[Golden Wheel Merchant Company]
[Southern Grain Transport Group]
[Silver Carriage Merchant Company]
.
.
.
Revenue reports, freight rate charts, cargo volumes, route distribution maps.
The pieces in the library of my mind naturally clicked together.
A sharp increase in spice imports.
Record-high port cargo handling.
Rising inland shipping rates.
Growing congestion at major transport companies.
.
.
.
Then, at one moment,
Countless pieces of information combined and pointed to a single stock.
[Blue Cart: 10 copper]
‘Huh?’
A small inland transport company.
‘This?’
It was a stock I had glanced over and passed by earlier.
A company that had nearly gone bankrupt two years ago.
‘...This doesn’t seem right.’
Looking only at the company report, it was not a stock that should ever rise.
Then why did this stock, of all things, keep catching my eye?
‘It just came to me like a formula. Like when I create new magic.’
It happened after I had read every report in this reading room.
‘It’ll definitely rise. Before long.’
I couldn’t explain why, but I had a feeling I would regret it terribly if I didn’t act.
‘Should I buy it?’
I didn’t want to simply ignore this particular intuition.
But.
My entire fortune was 61 gold.
‘Not all of it.’
If I lost it, I would have to start again from 1 copper.
‘Let’s invest only part of it.’
My gaze settled on one of the safest stocks on the continent.
[Amos Magic Tower: 30 silver]
The largest Magic Tower on the continent, located in the Imperial Capital.
As befitted a top-tier stock, its price per share was hefty.
‘It can’t compare to the Rowen Magic Tower.’
It was a place where one could learn not only Fourth-Tier magic, but Fifth-Tier magic as well.
A realm the current me could not even dream of reaching.
I had heard that it was nearly impossible for a commoner to enroll there.
But with money, it wasn’t entirely impossible.
‘If I own shares, it could become a stepping stone someday.’
The status of being an Amos Magic Tower shareholder.
For some reason, it made my heart race.
‘From now on, I’ll steadily accumulate shares little by little.’
Amos Magic Tower would never disappear.
Even if the Emperor changed or war broke out, it would not fail.
Its stock price even rose a little every year.
‘And if it keeps rising, I can sell it and buy spellbooks.’
I immediately went to the exchange counter.
“I’d like to place a buy order.”
“What stocks?”
“45 gold in Amos Magic Tower, and 15 gold in Blue Cart.”
The clerk’s eyes widened slightly.
“Amos Magic Tower? It really is a stock that never rises... Still, it is a stock that will never fail.”
The clerk began processing the order.
“At 30 silver per share, that comes to 150 shares of Amos Magic Tower. Blue Cart is 10 copper per share, so you will purchase 15,000 shares.”
“Yes.”
Soon afterward, I received the stock certificates along with the confirmation slips.
[Amos Magic Tower, 150 shares]
[Blue Cart, 15,000 shares]
‘I can’t carry these around.’
The answer was to leave them in a secret vault.
Holding the stock certificates, I headed straight for the vault room on the exchange’s second basement floor.
* * *
As soon as I left the exchange, I headed for the Rowen Magic Tower shop.
Chime.
When I opened the shop door, a fragrant herbal scent and the aura of mana washed over me.
A clerk in a neat uniform.
Seeing my shabby clothes, he furrowed his brow slightly.
“Looking for something? The cheap potions are over in that corner.”
“No. I came to supply some goods.”
I took a bundle of white cloth from my backpack and placed it on the counter.
“Supply goods? We don’t handle anything unless it’s a verified artifact, so try somewhere else.”
The clerk waved a hand as if I were a nuisance.
‘They take me for a peddler.’
Without backing down, I unfolded one of the cloth bundles.
A palm-sized white handkerchief.
“This is called a Cleansing Handkerchief. Would you like to take a look?”
I opened an ink bottle on the counter and poured it onto the table.
Trickle.
A black stain spread in an instant.
The clerk cried out in alarm.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”
“Don’t worry. It wipes off easily.”
I rubbed the ink stain with the handkerchief.
Rub, rub.
In an instant, the ink stain was drawn into the handkerchief as if by magic.
“As you can see, the table is clean.”
The clerk stared at it in surprise.
“It does wipe away ink rather well. Is it imbued with some sort of household magic?”
“That’s right.”
More precisely, it was the First-Tier household magic [Trace Erasure].
But it didn’t merely erase the ink from the table.
“Please wait a moment.”
The delicate magic circuit engraved on the handkerchief had already activated automatically.
Fsss.
The black stain broke down and scattered into the air.
The handkerchief became as good as new, as though it had never been stained with ink.
“...What? It cleans itself automatically?”
The clerk’s eyes grew wide with astonishment.
“First-Tier purification magic... and self-cleaning magic too... And the texture is extraordinary.”
The clerk picked up the handkerchief as though entranced.
He rubbed it with his fingertips, turned it over, and held it up to the light.
These were not the hands of someone who had just waved me away in annoyance.
Ordinary enchanted cloth tended to be stiff, but this was as soft as the finest silk.
It felt like it would not irritate the skin at all.
It was the sort of item noblewomen or fastidious mages would go crazy for.
“Wipe away sweat or grime, and it disappears immediately. It also disinfects wounds. The healing effect is minor, but it does have one.”
“Is that... really true?”
The clerk’s gaze changed.
Wound disinfection and a minor healing effect!
It was far more effective than an ordinary bandage, so people would likely seek it out even on the battlefield.
Knights and mercenaries, for instance.
“Please verify it.”
“One moment... Excuse me.”
A Magic Tower branch clerk was no ordinary person.
He was also a mage.
“The magic imbued in this handkerchief isn’t permanent.”
“Yes. It’s First-Tier household magic, and it uses only the minimum amount of mana, so it fades after about six months of use.”
“A consumable magic handkerchief rather than a permanent one... So after half a year, it becomes an ordinary scrap of cloth?”
“Still, it can be used three or four times a day without burden, for at least half a year.”
“It’s quite an excellent idea.”
In truth, the Magic Tower already had a permanent magical tool with similar functions.
However, it was extremely expensive.
Two gold.
A luxury item and ornament for wealthy nobles, it was also extravagantly ornate.
Of course, hardly anyone actually used one for practical purposes.
It was true that purification and cleaning magic had been permanently imbued into it, but the handkerchief itself was not very durable.
‘To add durability-enhancing magic as part of a composite formula, both the difficulty and material costs would rise several times over.’
Naturally, the price would rise even further.
Who would pay that much for a single handkerchief?
But this was a practical consumable magic item that could be used freely for around six months, then thrown away.
“If the price is right, there will be buyers. The issue is the unit cost.”
“Wouldn’t there be many customers at around 10 silver? I can set the supply price at 5 silver. Then the Magic Tower can make 5 silver per piece.”
The clerk’s eyes lit up.
“Considering a permanent handkerchief costs 2 gold, 10 silver for one that lasts six months is an attractive price. But can you make a profit supplying them for 5 silver? To imbue such an ability, you would at least have to melt down and apply a low-grade mana crystal...”
The clerk turned the handkerchief over in his hands and asked,
“How much stock do you have?”
“I brought 100 at the moment. If the response is good, I’ll make more.”
“Good. I’ll buy all 100.”
I handed over 100 handkerchiefs and received a full 5 gold.
My heart swelled.
“If we need more goods in the future, where should we contact you? No, more importantly, I would like to know who made this item. To imbue magic this subtle and precise without showing any traces, they must be at least Third Tier.”
The clerk did not seem to consider for a moment that I had made these magic items.
I was merely seen as an errand runner.
Naturally.
The faint mana radiating from my body was only First Tier.
Still, I had no desire to draw attention by saying that I made them.
I picked up a pen and left a note on the back of the receipt.
[Count Valderk’s Estate Annex, Lady Ellen’s exclusive mender, Hans.]
“They do not want their name known. I’ll leave my name behind, so please send a letter here if you have business.”
“The Valderk family?”
An exclusive mender to a noble family.
That was enough to guarantee my identity.
“Understood. I look forward to working with you.”
* * *
After leaving the Magic Tower, I headed for Rowen’s southern district.
The wholesale market, where cloth could be bought most cheaply, was there.
“This cloth hasn’t been stored well. The threads are coming undone.”
“Ah, you’re picky! Fine, I’ll take 2 copper off per bolt. Is that enough?”
“Take off 3 copper, and throw in the leftover scraps as well. Then I’ll buy it.”
“Fine. Let’s do that.”
In the middle of the marketplace.
I had made 5 gold selling handkerchiefs, but trying to save even 1 copper was both instinct and habit.
“Let’s go back now.”
Before I knew it, the sun had set and darkness was falling.
Then.
“Argh! Ugh... Please, save me...”
“Heh heh... You got cocky because you trusted your big brother. Serves you right.”
Dull impacts and cries came from deep inside an alley.
I quickly hid behind a pile of trash.
‘There.’
Five masked men were mercilessly stomping on a young boy they had surrounded.
‘Just walk away.’
Recklessly getting involved in something like that could put me in serious danger.
But their voices stopped me in my tracks.
“Break one of his arms. That way, Vargo will come charging out in a fury.”
“Kh, even that precious big brother will kneel once his little brother’s leg is cut off.”
That tearing, raspy voice.
Those snake-like eyes gleaming between the masks.
‘...?’
My memory could not be wrong.
‘They look like those bastards from back then?’
If Ellen’s carriage had not happened to pass by and help me then, I would have suffered terribly.
‘No doubt about it. It’s them.’
Just as I remembered the contents of a book after seeing it once, I never forgot a person I had seen once.
Much less an enemy.
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